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Gurugram, Haryana: A Gurugram startup founder’s post disclosing the cost of maintaining a high-end lifestyle in one of city’s affluent neighbourhood has generated discussion online. Identified as Vaibhav J., in a LinkedIn post, shared financial details of his monthly expense for maintaining premium lifestyle.
He began the post with a blunt confession; “I own a house in Gurgaon, India. Translation: I need ₹7.5 lakh/month just to breathe.”
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Vaibhav further breaks the his expenses in a month which includes house and car EMI, school fees for kids, foreign trips, salary for domestic staff,
“Here’s what you really signed up for:
Rs 2.08 lakh EMI for a ₹3 crore house
Rs 12,000 per month maintenance for the fountain
Rs 60,000 car EMI – because you can’t roll up in a Swift
Rs 65,000 per month for IB school for kids
Rs 30,000 per month for a ‘foreign trip proof-of-life’
Rs 30,000 monthly for domestic staff – cook, maid, driver
Rs 20,000 for club nights and dinners you don’t even enjoy
Rs 12,000 for grooming and dressing ‘DLF Phase 5 ready’
Rs 10,000-plus on random purchases.
Rs 15,000 for birthday gifts and wedding envelopes – a ‘fake smiles tax’.
He sums up total lifestyle cost as Rs 5 lakh per moth. And in order to maintain that lifestyle post-income tax, Vaibhav says that one need to earn at least Rs 7.5 lakh a month — Rs 90 lakh a year.
“Also, we had neither done savings nor bought insurance. And I haven’t even eaten yet. That’s not top one percent income – that’s top 0.1 percent burn rate,” he added in conclusion.
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The post, meanwhile, generated mixed responses online. One user criticised Vaibhav’s financial planning and wrote, “U and many more like u are educated fools. Who told u to buy such a costly home that is also on such a big emi…and many other expenses I saw prove it u and u only to be blamed. Everything on emi…seems like the education u had only for a job….i always says education only is not enough bring thoughtfulness in ur life man….”
One user commented, “Reality hits hard,” while another remarked, “whatever happened to simple living and high thinking!!!”
Meanwhile, dismissing Vaibhav’s claim over Gurgaon as an expensive place to live, a user argued, “I’m in Gurgaon last 15 years in duplex penthouse in dlf 5. Have yet to touch 5 lacs. Guess you need to rework math’s accordance to what you can pay rather than blame Gurgaon. It’s top place to live.”
